European Parliamentarians express concern over HR violations in India-Occupied Kashmir

BRUSSELS: Members of European Parliament have expressed deep concern over the state of human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The European lawmakers stressed the need to allow access to humanitarian aid in the conflict ridden region, where over 106 freedom fighters have been killed and over 8000 badly wounded due to inhumane use of pellet guns by Indian forces of occupation, says a press release received by the Pakistan government from Brussels.

These concerns were expressed by European Parliamentarians during the briefings by the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s special envoys on Kashmir Mr Ijaz ul Haq MNA and Malik M. Uzair Khan MNA, currently visiting Brussels to apprise members of Belgian and European Parliaments of the gross human rights violations being perpetrated by the Indian occupation forces on the innocent people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The envoys also briefed members of European Parliament including Chair of Committee on Foreign Affairs MEP Mr Elmar Brok, MEP Mr Sajjad Karim , Chair of Friends of Pakistan Group, MEP Mr Amjad Bashir, MEP Mr Afzal Khan and several other MEPs were also present in these meetings.

They also met with participants of Kashmiri women’s conference organized by the Kashmir Council Brussels in the European Parliament. The special envoy also briefed the Vice Chair of the Delegation for Relations with India in European Parliament Ms Neena Gill.

The special envoys on Kashmir stressed that human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir called for international support for resolving the Kashmir conflict in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

The envoys stressed that an understanding of human rights violations in the Indian occupied Kashmir was important to draw attention of the international community towards the atrocities being committed by the security forces in IoK.

The envoys stressed that the EU, being the flag bearer of human rights in the world should take serious note of the grave human rights situation in IoK particularly the inhuman use of pellets against unarmed civilians since the killing of the popular freedom fighter Burhan Wani by the Indian security forces on July 8 this year.

In the Belgian Parliament, the special envoys on Kashmir met with the President Belgian House of Representative H.E. Mr. Siegfried Brake, Senator Dr Petra De Sutter, Head of the Belgium- Pakistan Friendship Group and Mr Dirk van der Maelen Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

The envoys briefed the Belgian Parliamentarians in detail on the human rights violations in IoK and called on them to take note of these atrocities. The envoys further stressed that as one of the co-sponsor of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) resolutions on Kashmir, Belgium should stress the resolution of the dispute according the UNSC resolutions.